


Somewhere in DreamLand

by Azuresins



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-02-16 10:00:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21506020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azuresins/pseuds/Azuresins
Summary: Ciel is a young man determined to take up a security job at his local theme park called “DreamLand”, a place that is notoriously haunted by a ghost. Soon, he finds that the job may be more than he bargained for; coworkers and troubled guests aside, ghosts might not be the strangest thing occupying the space within the theme park’s walls. With his goals becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, he might require some help from an unlikely source…
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	1. New Hire

This scene again, now of all times. I could remember the noise of our hurried feet on pavement. It was distinctly loud; the melodic noise and merriment in the background were barely noticeable to me. The smell of candy floss, kettle corn, and well-oiled machinery on all sides is still vivid. The rest was a blur of lights, adults from the waist down, and a fellow children unaware of us. The man in the middle... taking such long quick strides. We were on either side of him, doing our best to keep up and hardly managing it. I remember trying to look up at him and felt so confused. It felt strange, even for him. He had never been one for these sorts of surprises, that was always mother's forte. No, he was always the careful planning type. Something was wrong.

It wasn’t like me to ask anything of him, much less to slow down. Maybe I didn't because I wasn’t the one with the gumption to do so.

"Hey! Dad, do you think you could slow down!? Hello! Earth-to-Dad!"

Brother's voice, and my heart aches.

"Quiet."

I hate the way father said that word. My lungs felt on fire, I thought I'd have an asthma attack at any moment. The grip he had on my hand is something I could never forget. Then all at once, he stopped. There were policemen, ones that I hadn't seen before. Their uniforms were different, not like the kind who walked around on the street. It's all playing out again, like a movie I'm being forced to watch. I know what's coming, but I don't want it to.

"Vincent Phantomhive. Sir. We're going to have to ask you to come with us." One of them said as he approached us, hand lingering at his waistband.

"I'm with my children." Father’s voice distinctly nervous.

A few other guests in the park had stopped now, pausing to watch the scene, whispering amongst their families. They were as confused as we were.

"Sir-" The officer continued, tone commanding enough for father to know what came next.

"You won’t take them from me! Do you understand!" Father let go of our hands.

"--Ciel? You alright?"

Back in reality. I clenched my fists in my lap, chiding myself for letting my mind wander off on it’s own.

“I’m sorry. To answer your question: I think this position would be very good for someone like me. I don’t think I’d be distracted by the rides, or anything. I’m not really the kind of person who goes to these places for fun, to be honest… I’m more of the introverted, stay-at-home type.” It wasn’t a lie. “I know I’m a bit younger than what you might be looking for, but I swear, security is something I take seriously. If only because --” A pause, “I know it happens all the time! People my age sneaking in, and things like that.” I force out a chuckle. Am I coming off as likable? Is he going to send me away?

The interviewer scratched the back of his head and hummed in thought. He was an older, scruffy looking man with an atrocious accent. “... Well. Ya’ answered the questions, ya’ tested clean, y’ve passed the background check-” He stood up from his desk and started to walk behind me, shuffling through my file. “Believe it or not, there’s a few of ya’ who are a bit younger than we might’ve liked, but they’re keeping things safe and runnin’! Ya’ don’t look like you’ve got much muscle, though. There’s a lot of walking involved. Average maybe seven miles a day, maybe nine on a bad day. ‘That a problem?”

I walked maybe seven miles a week at my last job. Probably less. But I had to do this. There was no way of knowing when the opportunity would present itself again. It didn’t matter what position they wanted me to fill, I’d do it. I couldn’t walk away when it had fallen right into my lap.

“Not at all! I’m sure I’ll adjust to it in no-time.”

“Well, then! Welcome aboard, Ciel!” My new boss clapped me hard on the back, I grinned and tried to make it look as though my ribs and spine weren’t vibrating in my body. Bard, he said his name was, was an interesting guy. A little odd, even for an American.

“Yer’ hired! I’ll write ya’ up yer schedule for next week. Training starts tomorrow-- ye’ should know the drill, right? The lockers are over here, feel free to take a look around before ya’ go.” He began to leave, but before I could process what I had done, his head popped back through the door frame.

“Oh- And. One last thing, I forgot to mention.” His smile was warm, he already had a cigarette in his mouth he seemed itching to light.

“-- DreamLand has a bit of a rep with some people. By-and-by these folks have collected stories back when things were different n’ we didn’t have such good security like we do now. Blew them up, exaggerated ‘em. Sure, we had a couple of pretty tragic happenin’s, but that was well-over ten years ago. Some folks say it’s haunted. Some staff have left over it, if you can believe it. Ya’ think you got it? Don’t get scared easy, do ya?”

My breath caught in my throat when he brought the subject up. It was unexpected but a part of me was glad he did. I could tell he was trying very hard to downplay it. Reputation was a bit of an understatement, especially to the occult world.

“-- I read the article.” No sense in pretending that I hadn’t. It had gone viral and probably had made them a little bit more money in the hype. “Stuff-and-nonsense, that. I don’t believe in ghosts.”

Bard nodded in relief and struck a lighter for his cigarette. “Perfect.”

* * *

“You must be the new hire. They call me Doll, nice to meet you! Not sure who’s on today, I just got here me’self. Sorry, I’m still dressed up. No use changing when I gotta head out there again in a bit.” A girl who looked about the same age as me, dressed in an elegant white costume reached out for my hand to shake it.

“Ah, I’m sorry- you’re here to train me for security?” It didn’t seem like a dumb question.

“That’s right. I’m one of the ‘undercovers.’ Part of my job is to entertain and look friendly, but it’s mostly to keep an eye out and to radio YOU in case something comes up in my area. You aren’t an undercover, though. Let me see what exactly you are…” Doll whipped a small notepad she had previously tucked into her chest without any shame. After flipping through a few pages she seemed to find the correct information, “Oh, so it looks like you cover the early evening, and night-shift. So you’ve met your special coworker, right?”

“My special coworker?” I repeated the question, completely oblivious.

“Yeah! Everyone on the night-shift has one.” She winked, but I was still lost.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand.”

“Your K-9 silly! Sebastian! Your dog! We’ve got two of them but you definitely want Sebastian. You went through the training classes, right? That’s what it says.”

“W-... yes, I mean that is to say- I learned the basic fundamentals in the unarmed security training courses. But I’ve never controlled and used a K-9 before.” With each passing sentence I could see the smile gradually fade from her face until she looked outright annoyed.

“Oh. Bard must have screwed up, then. He was supposed to make sure you had at least a year’s worth of experience with a K-9 unit before he offered you this job.”

There was a tense moment before Doll scoffed and shrugged her shoulders, “… Honestly! Who cares. What does it matter, right? You like dogs, don’t you? Sebastian’s a good boy, he’s never given anyone any trouble before. Mostly, he just sniffs to make sure no one’s in the park after hours. Let’s just make sure you two know each other before you start doing shifts, I’ll go get him!”

With that, Doll scampered off into another area of the private offices to collect the dog.

Now things had gotten extremely strange, even for me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had handled a dog. How much of that K-9 course did I even remember? What breed would the dog be, I wondered. It was likely a German Shepard or a Doberman.

The next moment, another person walked into the locker area. A tall lanky man with tired eyes and mean face. His hair looked to be bleached a few too many times, it was a striking platinum. He was clearly a security guard by the look of his uniform. I took it in as he shoved some belongings into a locker, slamming it shut. The sound echoed off the walls for a moment before there was quiet again. A few seconds later he broke the silence as he noticed me staring, “-- Need something?”

It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me, as he wouldn’t make eye contact. I turned toward him, “No, sorry- My name is Ciel, I’m going to be working security here soon. It’s nice to meet--”

His attitude shifted immediately, almost scowling at me, “Oh my God. Are they serious? You look about 16-years-old.”

“I’m twenty-five.” It was getting difficult to sound friendly, but I tried. That’s what you were supposed to do, right? Generally coworkers were supposed to get along, weren’t they? “You look a bit young, yourself.”

“Bard!” Without another word he bounded right for the bosses office. Why so hostile? As he did so, he bumped into another guard coming in. They were also blonde, albeit not the fake kind, but the demeanor between the two was night and day.

“Sorry! ‘Didn’t mean to.” With the angry lad long gone, this one greeted me with a much warmer smile. “Hello! You’re Ciel, right? You must be the hire! I’m Finny. I was asked to help train you a bit and show you around the Park for the Late shift. Nice to meet you!”

“Hello, I--.” I smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand. There was something I meant to say, but before I could he had pulled me into a hug. It was a surreal moment. Was it really happening? Time seemed to stop. Perhaps it wasn’t appropriate to know what he smelled like so soon after meeting. All the same… it was such a soft hug. “I-... I am Ciel, nice to meet you.” My voice must have expressed some mild discomfort. He pulled back immediately.

“AH! I’m sorry! I’m sorry-- I forget, you’re not really supposed to hug your coworkers! Some people don’t like it. I should have asked. You ok?”

For some reason laughter was my first response. The cold reality was this had been my first embrace in quite some time. My mind instantly struggled to remember the one before this. Mother, surely. She wouldn’t want me doing this. Working this position, living in this town, being here in DreamLand at all. Come to think of it, Finny had the same hair color as she did. That honey shade of blonde, very lightly sun-kissed. I suddenly hoped she was okay. Now wasn’t the time for this, though. Meeting all these new people was giving me whiplash.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Um, Doll. She said she was going to get my K-9--”

“Oh, yeah she told me!” Finny pointed to an ear-piece in his left ear. “We’re all connected via the 'walkies. Let me get you hooked in. They’re easy!” He walked to a cabinet to take out a radio and select a bagged ear-piece for me. Doing so, he whistled that … ghastly song. The theme of the park that was constantly played in many areas. Didn’t he get sick of it? Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed he had a tattoo of some sort on his neck. I wondered if it was okay to ask him about it, before he offered the items to me.

I hurried to attach the radio to my belt and hook it up to the ear piece, “Is it okay to have this before I get my uniform?”

“You’ll get that tomorrow! As long as you have your badge you’ll be alright!” No sooner had I gotten the ear-piece in did Finny hold a button connected to his own ear-piece and speak toward it. My assumption that it was the mic was correct. “Say hello to Ciel, everyone. He’s new!”

A chorus of many voices followed, sounding off one-after another. ‘Hello, Ciel.’ ‘Copy that, nice to meet you.’ ‘Hiya, newbie!’ ‘Hi Ciel!’ ‘Did maintenance ever get around to the popcorn machine!?’

Finny laughed, “Just switch it to channel two to avoid hearing the rest of the employees.” He reached to adjust the radio for me. He was so... friendly. “That way, it’s just the security team. Most of the time you won’t need to sweat the small stuff. Come on, you can help me with the rest of my shift!”

“What about Doll?” I followed after him quickly.

“She got caught up in something, don’t worry-- you’ll meet your doggie later! Are you ready?” With a bright grin he lead me out the doors. Beyond a few plastered walls we were suddenly hit with music and noises of the crowd.

This was the same DreamLand of my childhood. The familiar landscape of the rides couldn’t be easily forgotten. It looked like they took good care of this place, judging by the state of things. Fresh coats of paint here and there; a few modern additions like a charging station by the restrooms. Tell-Tale signs that things were doing well, despite rumors.

All the same, it was different to me now. It seemed much smaller. A lot less grand. It was just another place to be in the world; nothing special. No wonderment; no magic.

“The crowd’s not too bad today. So, let’s go for a stroll!”

The entire day shift had been a blur with Finny directing me. Most of it was just… walking. We scanned the crowds for signs of rule-breaking, asking children not to play in a fountain, directing parents to the lost-and-found center, asking a member of maintenance to come deal with a mess that no one else would clean. Always listening to the radio to see if we were needed elsewhere.

It was downright dull. The only thing that made the training bearable was who I was being trained by. By his look of wonderment, Finny still seemed enchanted by this place. It was clear as day that he was having fun just being here. He enjoyed the ambience, he loved talking to people and it came so naturally to him. A part of me really envied that.

Before we knew it, his shift was over and I was about to go on my lunch break. As we walked back into the private area he turned to me.

“Ciel? You did good today! You’re learning way faster than I did. My first day I got lost and my walkie ran out of battery! I cried and someone asked security had to come get ME! Anyway-- can you do me a favor? Just one thing.” He asked, his eyes bright and excited as they had been the first hour.

“Yes. Of course.” I was prepared to correct any mistakes.

Finny paused and locked eyes with me, “-- I. Hope you don’t mind me saying so. But I think you really should smile a bit.” He put a hand on my shoulder, “We work in DreamLand, you know? It’s a special place to a lot of people, and kids; I just. Try to be a little more cheerful, ok? Don’t take it so serious, that people think you’re scary…”

My eyes widened a little, “-- Scary…?”

* * *

I found myself sitting in the break room wondering if I had made a mistake. My resolve for being here had dwindled just by experiencing how tight the security was now. Radios, cameras, metal detectors at every exit and entrance, a security team at all times. What more could one ask for?

“Ciel you have a minute? Sorry I lost you earlier.” Doll came in and snapped me out of my thoughts. In her hand she held a leash with probably the largest dog I had ever seen in my life. I quickly put my things aside and stood up to greet them. I desperately wanted this to be a joke.  
A solid black Russian wolfhound was not what I pictured when I thought of a guard dog. “This is Sebastian!”

“Ah- Nice to meet you, Sebastian.” Not a second before I extended my hand to pet his head did he emit a low growl.

“Hey!” Doll gave a little tug on his leash and locked eyes with me. There must have been a look on my face. “He’s just getting used to you. Maybe it’s the smell of food on your hands? It’ll be ok! He’s never bitten anyone without a command.”

Several hand-washes later I found myself taking hold of Sebastian’s leash. I had exactly one hour to get to know him and begin my first night shift. Damn, this dog was strong. Practicing walking him and giving him a few basic commands was a feat in itself. Was I leading the dog or was he leading me?

“Is he always this- demanding? He really-- seems-- to know-- where to go--” I asked Doll, trying to make it appear as though I wasn’t struggling.

She was already laughing at me. “Sorry, it probably doesn’t help that you’re such a small lad-- what are you, maybe 8 stone? Sebastian probably weighs more than you do!”

“Haha. Hardly.” My face got hot with embarrassment, trying to brush off the teasing. Was she actually right about that? I held onto his leash with both hands.

“Try a more commanding voice.” Doll suggested. “Don’t ask him, tell him what to do.”

“Sebastian. Slow down.” The brute growled at me, but he did comply.

That seemed to be good enough for Doll, “Alright. He knows you’re the one in charge, that’s what matters. At the end of your shift just make sure to put ‘im back in his kennel or give him to the next shift.” She stretched her arms casually over her head before starting to take off pieces of her costume, it seemed she was heading home for the day. “Night shift is pretty dull. It’s the same routine as day shift, but with him. With him there you’ve got nothing to worry about. After we close just keep making your rounds, after every round give him a drink, keep going. Hardly anyone makes it through anymore-- and if you see anybody after closing just tell them to go. No one wants to give you trouble with him in your hands. If there’s someone up to mischief you’ll know it.”

A few rounds later and the dog was giving me more trouble than anything. “Sebastian! Slow down!” I ‘commanded’ to little avail. This was utterly ridiculous. Why in the world did this dog hate me so much? We had walked around the park an extra time than we were meant to. I could only hope my eyes were thorough. People were staring at how fast we were going. It was a wonder I could even manage a “Goodnight, thank you for visiting DreamLand” to any of the guests we were amusing.

Sebastian only listened in one minute intervals before he decided he knew better than me, proceeding to do whatever he felt like. Actually, One minute was being generous. The only good thing about this situation was that, to his credit, the dog knew where to go.

My lungs burned, my feet reduced to two aching stubs of flesh. But two hours of this flew by like nothing. Most of the guests of the park had left by 11:30. The majority of the park’s staff had gone home for the night; in one hour, most of DreamLand was meant to be empty. Only security staff and the maintenance workers were expected at this time. Anyone else coming and going, even the owner had to be logged for the book. I remembered this much.

“Sebastian, halt. Now Sit.”Just one moment, please. To catch my breath.

It was now 11:45. The park was closed at eleven, but it was normal for guests to linger as long as possible. Still, it looked to be cleared out, now.

My radio went off in my ear, “Ciel, what is yer location?” It was Bard.

I wiped some sweat from my brow and steadied my breath before speaking into my mic, “--Ferris wheel.”

“Do one more walk-around with Sebastian, check for any guests n’ lost-items n’ then put ‘im back. Take yer last break, then camp by the back exit. Someone’s comin’ at O-One-Hundred to relieve you.”

“Copy that.” I responded in relief. Another voice sounded on the mic. I recognized it as the bleach-blonde from earlier. “Bard who’s relieving me? I go home in fifteen, remember!”

“Shit. Ciel? If we had a change of plans, say after ya last break, ya went to the tech room, do ya think ya could handle it? You can keep Sebastian with you, n’ do surveillance, Sorry, I know yer new.”

The tech room, with the surveillance footage. I didn’t quite know how they worked yet. The smart thing was to say no. Let the jerk stay longer. But ideally, access to the tech room and watching the entire park at once… it was like fate was on my side.

“No problem.”

We made our way to the tech room. The room looked exactly as I imagined it to be.  
A stuffy little room full of monitors with an array of buttons and knobs to press. There was also an intercom system in place, and a separate telephone on the wall to my left. And let’s not forget the chair. A chair! I collapsed into it. I had to hold onto the desk to keep the wheeled feet from sending me back into the wall. Unfortunately, Sebastian was no more cooperative sitting still.

“SIT, Sebastian!”

The dog stared at me defiance but I tried to be firm, “Sit. And lay down.”

Watching these screens were the only thing I had to do for the next hour or so. I studied each of them; no movement. No signs of life after maintenance had left. Sometimes the screens would change and show me a different area of the park. When there was movement, it was usually a crow.

I knew I was alone now, save for the dog at my feet who hated me. Several minutes ticked by and the hum of the machines seemed soothing, but there wasn’t a part of me that could be calmed. My mind was fixed on the past, and on the article and it’s contents. It had come out several months ago.

“A Nightmare in DreamLand?” was the headline. ‘Another ghost-sighting in DreamLand following a near-fatal accident! Park guest snaps photo moments before the tragedy! Many say it’s the infamous horror that haunts the park at night.”

Everyone loved to talk about the infamous ghost-man. Our great urban legend. Locals raved about it at parties and children at their sleepovers. It was said that he lurked in the park at night, though few were unfortunate enough to see him. For those who did see him, it was an omen of terrible things to come. People swore it was true, as sometimes, terrible things did happen in DreamLand. Tragic peanut allergies, fatal bus crashes, on the job deaths by the heavy machinery. The bad luck started about fifteen years ago; when supposedly the man died.

These were easy enough to dismiss over the years. People loved a good story and to have something to blame besides cruel fate. But this time was different. There had never been a photo before; and to me there was no mistaking the identity of the man within it.

This man took on many identities in the legends, who he actually was and if he was real was a mystery to most. But there was truth in him being the sole reason why the park wasn’t open after midnight anymore. There was a real tragedy behind the legend, and a little boy whose memory was stained from that night.

“Dad…” My eyes scanned the monitors. This was pathetic. Of course he wasn’t going to appear in front of me, still, I asked for him. “Are you here…?”

A few more minutes passed in silence, and I was beginning to lose hope. I watched idly as the monitors shifted, as they did every so often. However, soon the image turned more familiar. When I recognized the location my lips parted to suck in some air. It was the front of a maze for children. A sort of funhouse and the Park’s oldest attraction. That's where it happened.

“Dad, I-” I really thought he could hear me, like at any moment he was going to manifest on the screen where I last saw him.

“ARF!!” Sebastian suddenly sat up, and let out a loud bark. “ARF! ARF!” Getting up on his hind legs he scratched and clawed at the door in a frenzied state.

“Sebastian! Down!” I grabbed his leash and turned to look back at the monitors, afraid to miss a moment. The dog didn’t listen, gnawing persistently at the door. My heart ached as the scene changed once more. I pushed a button frantically, the one that would shift the screen back to the fun house. To my surprise, it didn’t. The feed remained steady, now of the entrance to the park, and nothing seemed amiss at first glance.

As I stared in longing for the previous picture, it caught my eye. There on the screen. A bird appeared to be mid-flight. It wasn’t moving. It wasn’t moving at all. Sebastian kept barking, each one more desperate than the last.

I pushed a few more buttons, now; pushing any I could touch. Every screen was completely frozen.

“Fuck.” Through gritted teeth I wrapped Sebastian’s leash around my wrist several times and opened the door. Big mistake.

The dog bolted at full strength, sending me straight to the ground and dragging me with him across the floor. “SEBASTIAN! STOP!” I pleaded.

I don’t know how I got to my feet, but I managed it. A noise came from the leash bound wrist that I knew wasn’t good, but I couldn’t feel the pain; I just concentrated on running. I knew exactly where we were going and my heart pounded in my chest.

This was it, I told myself. I would finally see proof that I was right all these years; that I was right to be here. Years I’d waited to confront the man that haunted his park; the man who haunted me. Sebastian ran me all the way to the bridge leading to the maze… and then right past it. What? Where were we going?

“Sebastian!” I wanted to beg him to turn back, but it was all useless. The dog only barked and kept on running toward the deeper area of the park. We flew past the larger rollercoaster, the ferris wheel, and tilt-a-whirl; was he just heading for the back exit?

“God damn it, you stupid dog!”

Finally, and all at once, he halted. We were right in front of DreamLand’s Carousel; the centre and landmark of the entire park. I almost tripped over the beast as he stopped abruptly and in my way; stumbling badly and having to steady myself. My body had had enough; namely my lungs. My hands shook as I reached into my jacket pocket to find my inhaler, taking a long puff of the horrible medicine.

“... What. What is SO important…” I managed to put my inhaler away and tried to find my flashlight. It turns out I didn’t need it.

The ride came alive in an instant. My vision was bombarded with glittering lights and that ghastly song filled the air.

_I’ll see you somewhere in dreamland_   
_Somewhere in dreamland tonight_

The painted horses, rabbits and mythical creatures began to rise up-and-down and rotate in their usual circle, though they could have easily been floating haphazardly through the air. I walked through the gate and made my way to the operating circuit. Not for the first time this night, the kill switch did nothing.

My brow furrowed as the ride continued it’s rotation. I scanned each animal, and sure enough. Along came the culprit, seated side-saddle upon a black pegasus. His ankles were crossed and his hands were in his lap. This man had contented smile on his face; he didn’t seem to have a care in the world, judging by the way he sang along.

_Over a bridge made of moonbeams_   
_We’ll find our clouds are silver-lined_

I tried to take in as much information about the man as I could. He was a trespasser, afterall. Black hair. White male? Mid to late twenties. Unusually joyful. I tried the kill switch again, but again, nothing. The main power source was the only option, so I bent down to pull the chord as the song continued.

_Each little star is a castle_   
_Shining our welcome so bright_

Where was the chord?! I temporarily lost sight of the man as the ride carried him around once again. No matter; I found the chord and gave it a firm tug. This seemed to do the trick.

_Dreams will come true for me and you --_

The song track of the ride was cut off, the lights went out, and the animals slowed and came to a stop. But on the beat, the man sang the last lyric, “Somewhere in DreamLand, tonight.” He seemed plainly unbothered by my interruption, reaching up to sway himself back and forth along the pole anchoring his pegasus.

I got to my feet and turned on my flashlight. I shone directly onto the man still mounted playfully on the animal. Carefree as the moment I first spotted him, he gave no response for his actions other than an inappropriate, “Hello.”

My voice was hoarse but I did my best to sound firm, “I’m going to have to ask you to leave, sir. The park’s closed. It’s after hours.”

The man tilted his head slightly, leering down at me. “Is it, now. Why do you get to stay, then?”

I wasn’t in the mood for this cheekiness. “I work here, Sir. I’m a security guard. The park closed at eleven o’ clock, and you’re now trespassing. I need you to leave. If you want to come back, you’ll have to get a new ticket while we’re open.” I glanced at Sebastian for help, and to my dismay, the dog was sitting perfectly still. Just staring at the man; no wag of the tail, no barking, not so much as a growl.

This man, wearing all black, hummed thoughtfully and stroked his chin, he seemed to have the nerve to be contemplating my statements. “Hmm. I must say, it hardly seems fair of you to ask that of me, all things considered. I assume that _he_ must have a lifetime pass?” The way he chuckled and looked at me sent a chill down my spine. Carefully, he slipped from the painted horse and onto the floor of the ride, swinging himself weightlessly from the anchoring pole. He was taller than I expected; I estimated about six feet. “But, if you insist, I’ll take my leave, for now. Since you asked so nicely.” He shrugged his shoulders and turned around, walking away from me to the other end of the ride. That wasn’t good.

“Hold on!” I called to him, hoping he’d slow down so I could follow him. Trespassers had to be followed out at the very least, if not escorted. Climbing over the blockade was slowing me down and preventing me from getting closer. “Just wait a minute! Who are you talking about? Is there someone else here?” The questions were worth asking.

The man glanced back at me; he kept walking away. How did he get passed the other exit so quickly? His expression was something like pity; like I was stupid. “The man lingering about at the maze, of course. And he doesn’t even enjoy the rides. If anything, I’d ask him to leave; seeing all the trouble he’s caused. Oh, well.” He turned away once more, not caring to show me his face again.

“Wait!” My heart leapt in my chest. I couldn’t have heard all of that correctly. I lost a visual of him as he walked from behind the centre of the carousel’s core. I ran as fast as I could to the other side of the ride, abandoning Sebastian completely.

He was gone. There was no trace of him. No trace of anyone being there at all.

“Hey!” A new voice came from some distance away.

I turned my head quickly and was blinded by a flashlight. I tried to shield my eyes as Sebastian barked and trotted up to greet the new person, who had a white dog at their side. Another security guard; the one who had come to relieve me for the night.

She approached me with a gentle look of concern, “I heard shouting, are you alright? You’re the new hire, yes? I was told to meet you in the Tech room and you weren’t there.” A woman with glasses, her hair up in a messy bun. Sebastian sniffed at what I presumed was the other guard dog owned by the park; a white Siberian husky.

“I-...I’m sorry, there was a man.-- A man trespassing, I-.. I lost sight of him he - he turned on the carousel, I think he just left through the park entrance.” I tried to get the sentence out as quick as I could.

She nodded and pat me on the back, “Hey, don’t worry yourself too much, now! I’ll be here if he comes back, ok? Just report your findings tomorrow and get some sleep. I’ll make my round. We’ll have more time for introductions tomorrow. You better clock out before you get in trouble. I’ll put Sebastian back for you.”

I checked my watch and grimaced; I’d have to run if I wanted to clock out on time. What an eventful night it had been.


	2. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ciel is confronted by a not-so-friendly coworker during his day shift and learns something he didn't expect. Just when he starts to question himself, the mysterious stranger shows up once again and things take a turn...

“It was around 1am.” I repeated, leaning over the chair where my boss sat. The tech room last night seemed like such a liminal space. Something in me felt uncertain asking to return to this room, but Bard had to know what happened, and a deeper part of me wanted to see it all again. That stranger never left my thoughts from the moment I saw him. 

“... Alright. There ya’ are. ‘Ya know, Sebastian might’ve just heard the ride goin’ and knew something wasn’t right. He’s a good dog-- Just a bit too thorough at times.” Bard slowed the tape down as we watched the monitors closely. “What was the description of the perp, again?” 

“White male, mid to late twenties. Black hair… He should be on the tape in a moment. He was riding the pegasus.” 

I watched myself run up to the carousel on screen; observed the scene play out from the perspective of the security camera. Any moment I’d see the lyrical man who had broken into the park and said all of those strange things. 

On screen Sebastian barked at the ride, the mythical horses danced up and down as they made their mechanical rotation. I watched myself struggle to find the power chord. It was all there, just as it happened. 

The pegasus came around in view of the camera, and I held my breath in an effort to keep calm. There was no rider on the screen at all. I felt my grip tighten up on the top of the chair before letting go. What did this mean? 

“Damn. I guess he’s on the other side. ‘Ya sure he was on the Pegasus? -- It’s okay. No big deal.” 

My lips had parted as I gazed at the monitor. My back was facing the camera, but I KNEW I was speaking to someone. How was it this man wasn’t on the tape? Was it possible that just by being here; I was losing my mind?

Maybe I was. 

Perhaps the few hours I’d spent in this place were getting to me more than I anticipated. What if mother was right? Should I have stayed away? 

No. That couldn’t be; I know what I saw. Whatever he was, he was there, and I spoke to him. 

I forced myself to laugh and shook my head, “Sorry to bother you, I thought it was worth a try.” 

Bard leaned back in his chair and pressed a button, switching the cameras back into their default settings, “10-4. No sweat it. If you can, just try to coax them in front of the camera next time. You’ll pick up these tricks as you go. Ya’ didn’t do bad on the first day. Oh! Before you head out there, I’ve got somethin’ for ‘ya…” He winked and offered me a folded uniform sealed in a plastic bag. 

* * * 

“Sir, can I see your ticket please?” My voice was firm as I approached the intended party. I wasn’t sure how intimidating I looked; the suit didn’t fit me perfectly. As predicted, it was a little too large. 

“Why? What for?” The teen spat at the ground and glowered at me; half-concealed behind a rubbish bin. He tucked what he had been puffing on a few moments ago behind his ear. “I didn’t do nothin’ leave me alone, yeah?” 

“We received a complaint. We don’t allow smoking in the park.” I doubted it was just tobacco. “--Because you broke a park rule, I have the right to review your ticket purchase.” This was a bluff of course, the teen had been suspected of worse than smoking a spliff. I held out my hand expectantly. “Please, don’t make me ask again.” 

“Oh fuck you, ‘mate!” 

Before I could react, a large soft drink cup came soaring into my face. I felt the shock of the cold liquid; smelled the sweet-but-tangy scent of American-style lemonade as it soaked my new uniform.

There was an audible gasp from a few on-lookers. My facial expression didn’t change as lemonade dribbled from my chin. My mind and emotions hadn’t caught up yet, but I forced my body to move as I realized the teen was likely to bolt. Somewhere behind me I heard hurried footsteps approaching. 

“Ciel!” It was Finny’s voice. He was likely coming to help back me up. For whatever reason this created a stir deep within me. I’ll be damned if he thought I couldn’t handle this. 

Without pausing so much to wipe my face I grabbed the teen by the elbow. Not enough to hurt him; but certainly not allowing him to run off. “I was going to give you a chance, and you blew it. Now you can tell your friends you’ve been banned. I hope that was worth it.” 

“Hey man! Let go of me! I’m SORRY!”

“Not a chance. Walk.” I was surprised at the strength and steadiness in my voice. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Finny staring at me. It was hard to read his face. Was I being too aggressive? Was he angry? In any case, I followed the procedure to the best of my abilities. 

It didn’t take long to escort the trouble-maker and file the report. Thankfully, babysitting him while his upset mother came for him wasn’t a part of my job. The ticket-taker thanked me for passing along the information and I made my way back toward the rides.

It was a pity about the uniform. I scowled as I looked down at my shirt; on second thought, maybe I ought to clean up a bit before going back to work. 

Suddenly though, I was met with a strange noise. I looked up just in time to see Finny rush up to me from behind the kettle corn machine, getting just a bit too close to my face.

“Ciel that was AMAZING!” 

“Wh- what?” 

His eyes were such a bright, shining green. It occurred to me that the expression he was making at me earlier must have been... awe? But I didn’t understand why, until he clarified at a rapid pace. 

“You! You’re so tough! People must think you’re gonna be easy to mess with because you’re small, but you handled that so well! I’ve never seen anyone deal with that without calling for help before! Did you press charges?” 

“Charges?” I repeated the word while trying to stifle a laugh, “No. I mean, it wasn’t nice. I didn’t appreciate it, but it’s over with now.”

“I didn’t think you would. ‘Bet he’s gonna think twice about poking his head around here again, though.” His eyes wandered down to my shirt and he frowned, “You shouldn’t go back to work like that. I’m sure it’ll get all sticky if it dries. Get cleaned up first, I’ll cover you ‘kay?” 

“Thank you, Finny.” I smiled back at him before retreating to the employee-only toilet. I hadn’t been inside it, yet. The room was larger than I expected; there were about twenty sinks in total and an equal number of toilets that looked ancient to me. The lights were yellowed and dim. There was a damp smell that you might expect from a Washroom in a submarine, or something like that. How old was this park, again? Surely they had renovated this part since it was built. At least, I hoped so. 

I tucked my earpiece away and decidedly unbuttoned the shirt altogether, removing it. I sighed as I washed my face and debating how to clean it up. 

“Hey, can you explain what in the hell you’re doing.” 

I spun around immediately, startled by the unexpected voice. I came inside so hastily I didn’t notice him, standing in the corner right by the door. It was the employee I had a brief encounter with the day before; the platinum blonde. If I was correct he left early in his shift yesterday; he worked in the surveillance room. Did he know I’d be here? I think his name was Alois. He didn’t seem to care that I was shirtless, instead making a point to stare at me a moment. It was as though he knew it made me uncomfortable…and he was not going to talk until I said something. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“I like Bard... He’s a good boss. He gives me my paycheck on time and he keeps the park safe; but he’s kind of an idiot.” He took a few steps closer to me as he spoke and his expression did not look any friendlier, “He doesn’t check paperwork twice, he’s so desperate to fill positions when people leave. And a lot of them do. ‘Makes a lot of little technical mistakes that the city is too happy to overlook, you know what I mean?” 

“... What exactly are you trying to say?” I backed away from him until I felt the cold porcelain of a sink on the small of my back. 

“I don’t like new hires. I especially don’t like new hires who have never worked security a day in their life. No experience but you work the same shift that I do. Finny is part time for a reason.” I felt a jolt of annoyance as he continued, “It leaves a reaaally bad taste in my mouth; you’re not going to last six months here.” He began to poke my collarbone, “So I suggest you start looking for another job.” 

“... What is your problem?” I was truly at a loss, “I don’t know what you’re on about.” 

“Don’t bullshit. I took a look at your application before I went home. And I did more digging than Bard. You and I both know, your name isn’t Ciel Midford. Who the hell are you?” 

My heart leaped into my throat and I felt myself break a sweat. I stared intensely at him now and my brow furrowed. I tried hard not to let his words shake me. “...What do you think you know about me?” 

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” Alois closed the small space left between us, leaving me leaning back over the sink that I gripped to stay steady. “I don’t know what you’re up to, being here. Lying like that-- you used someone else’s information on the background check, right? Edward Midford? Clever! Except; I actually know Edward. And you’re not him.”

Damn it. What were the odds of that. 

“Do you even know who he is? Give me one good reason not to tell Bard right now that your IDs were fake.” This guy was not kidding around. 

I tried my best to keep calm, “...Listen to me. My reasons are deeply personal to me.” I tried not to sound furious, but I think I might have spat out some of the words. Alois lost some of his resolve and moved back a little. I continued, “Edward Midford is my cousin. My own record is spotless. I did things this way, because I don’t want my mother to find out where I’m working. She wouldn’t like it. That is all.” That wasn’t all, but a partial truth was as much as I was willing to offer. This didn’t seem good enough for Alois though. I added, “It’s important to me to be here.” 

“Even if that’s true. Even if working here is that important. Why make some special exception for you, over everyone else?!”, Alois raised his voice, almost yelling, “Do you think you’re the only one with a reason to work here?!” 

This caught me off-guard. I could see a glimmer of something in his eyes. I thought I heard pain in his voice. When he could see that I noticed it, he turned his back to me, hands on his hips.

It took me a moment to know what to say. “...If you’re implying what I think you are, let me be clear with you. I am not a threat to anyone here. I don’t want to bring harm to DreamLand; or anyone in it. If I think I can’t handle this job correctly, I will leave. A large part of why I am here? Is because I want to know this place is safe. Especially for children. I need to see that for myself. But it’s much more than that. There’s something else. Something I need--” 

“Closure?” His voice seemed a little more gentle now, enough for me to pause as he continued. Alois seemed to chuckle a moment but it wasn’t a cheerful sort, “You wont get it.” 

A few moments that seemed to last forever crept by until he finally decided to take his leave. The bleach blonde paused in the doorway, and said one more thing that would make my mind numb. “...Alois isn’t my real name, either. I’m in the witness protection program; the reason for that, is none of your business. You aren’t the only one with secrets, ‘Ciel.’” 

My eyes widened as he went on. Truthfully I was grateful for the information. 

He continued, voice still sharp as ever but now laden with a different kind of spite. “My brother died in DreamLand, when we were kids. It was in the summertime. The Spider. He’s the reason it’s not there anymore.” 

“Luka Macken; that was your brother…” One couldn’t help but be sympathetic, that incident in particular was very nasty business. Just two years after my own dark encounter, memory of my loss was eclipsed by that little boy. The Spider had been very popular with guests, the thought of it being lethal was unfathomable. Naturally, many mourned the tragic loss of life in the days and weeks that followed. However, as time went on, many more mourned the rides closure. 

After some silence, Alois finally turned his head to look back at me, “Do whatever you want; keep your secrets, but you better do your damn job right. If I get one sniff of you fucking up, I will get you fired. Learn to get your dog under control.” 

He glared at me one more time before kicking the door open and exiting with as much noise as he could muster. 

As soon as he left I let out a long sigh of relief and turned my attention back to my uniform shirt. My hands shook as I wrung the fabric; questioning my sanity and actions. Did I really believe I was capable of this? Was I really such a bad person, that I’d put other people’s safety at stake, to get my own answers? Answers… to questions that were absurd to begin with? Was I so arrogant that I thought that I was the only one who deserved them? 

“Ciel…” I brought my quaking hands to my face. It was a face I didn’t care to see reflecting back at me in the mirror. 

I don’t remember how I got myself put together enough to go back to work, but I managed it. The rest of the day shift went by without incident. I lost count of all the times Finny kept reminding me to smile. Being part time and day-shift only meant he left much earlier in the day than I did. It didn’t feel the same when Finny left. It was like he took all of the sunshine out of the park with him; figuratively and literally. 

After a quick bite, I decided to spend my lunch hour with Sebastian, again. If Alois thought I was incompetent; I had to prove him wrong to stay here. Even if it was part of his job, I hoped he wasn’t watching me too closely. 

The moment I opened his kennel, the dog looked at me as though to say, ‘oh it’s you, again.’ 

“Sebastian.” My voice had a firmness to it; absent of desperation. “Come here. Now.”

The canine made a strange noise, but obeyed me. I bent down to secure his harness and attach his leash, deciding to speak as I did so. “... I don’t think you can understand any of this. But I really am trying. Maybe you sense it, too. … That I shouldn’t be here.” 

The animal stared at me, without blinking. I continued, “But I can’t go on without knowing for sure, that this place is really as safe as the next park. Can it all be coincidence, Sebastian?” His ears perked up, I wanted to think he heard me. “You’re the only other witness I have, you know. You saw that man last night, didn’t you, boy?” 

For a moment I felt like I had finally made a deeper connection with the dog. Satisfied, I got to my feet and took hold of his leash. “Let’s try to work together, alright? I think we can do it.” 

The moment I opened the door leading to the main area of the park, Sebastian gave a loud, “ARF!” and charged out with his usual pace. Sadly, it seemed that I spoke too soon. 

While there had been little improvement in our teamwork since yesterday; we did manage to actually accomplish something before the park closed. 

It was just after 10. Sebastian had wandered away from our usual round, and trotted up straight for the line at a dark ride. Sebastian pointed at a man waiting and barked once; nose pointed right at his pocket. 

“Sir, can you empty your pocket please?” 

The man apologized as he took out an illegal firework. It was a small string of firecrackers. Even if they were intended for a harmless prank, they were not allowed within the park. It was a common practice for some people to light and toss them on rides; causing a big enough hazard to others. Thankfully the man understood and offered the offending item without much complaint. Even if Sebastian was doing the majority of the work and I was but his mouthpiece, it felt nice knowing I wasn’t getting paid to exercise. 

As soon as I collected the objects and secured them, I heard Alois in my ear. “Well done, Ciel.” 

So Alois really was watching me. I couldn’t be sure if he meant the statement as a compliment or if he was being sarcastic. 

“--Thanks.” I decided it was best not to ignore a direct remark, either way. 

“Code Black at the tilt-a-whirl.” 

“Wh-What? What did you say?” The voice in my ear didn’t sound like Alois, but it was familiar. It caught me by surprise, and I was sure I didn’t hear him correctly. I didn’t get a response right away.

“Mic check.” I waited only a moment as Alois responded in a bored tone of voice.

“I hear you. What’s wrong.” 

“Someone said something, just now.” I looked around, hoping for an alternative source of the noise. No… It definitely came from my ear-peice, “I’m not sure who it was.” 

“Uh, you and I are the only ones on Channel Two right now. The undercovers are off mic and going home. Maybe you’re on Channel One? Check your walkie.” 

Immediately I pulled the radio from my pocket and checked the display. It clearly said Channel Two. “I’m on Channel Two.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. You probably heard something--” Static followed as the voice cut him off quickly. 

“--Perhaps you should try Channel Six. That way, you can respond to me privately.” 

I took a deep breath and flipped through the rest of the channels to get to number six. Did he imply that Alois couldn’t hear him talking? Finny told me who used the other channels, but I couldn’t remember the details. I distinctly remembered he told me I wouldn’t have to worry about any of the others besides channels one and two.

When ‘Channel 6’ appeared I held the mic close to my mouth and put the radio back into my pocket. “I’m sorry; who is this?” 

“We met the other night. I thought perhaps you and I could try to have a more civil conversation? Face-to-face, if you prefer.” 

My heart started to pound as I now recognized the voice on the other end. The stranger on the carousel. I gathered up Sebastian’s leash and started to walk toward the tilt-a-whirl ride. “So you are a trespasser and a thief, as well? Where did you find a radio?” I knew we kept our equipment locked up. 

The stranger chuckled lowly, “...I have my own. And I think it’ll please you to know I have secured a ticket for myself, as well.” 

“Where are you?” Just as I asked this question Sebastian picked up his pace. I switched back to Channel Two for a moment, “Alois, I think there might be a trespasser by the tilt-a-whirl--” 

“Why did you change the channel?! I’ve been trying to TALK to you!” Alois sounded irate. 

“LISTEN to me!” I tried to sound urgent, “I caught this person trespassing last night. He’s now talking to me through our radio. He’s on Channel Six.” 

“Are you trying to be funny?! -- I have no visual on you at all. The cameras in the lower left area of the Park are frozen. Stay on the line, I can not see you.” As he spoke I could hear him frantically working with the surveillance equipment.

“-- No I told you, he’s on Channel Six right now, I’m trying to find him-”

“Ciel! THERE IS NO Channel Six!” 

It felt for a moment like my heart was pumping ice through my body. What was this stranger? I gritted my teeth through the ache in my lungs; now running quickly to the back of the tilt-a-whirl as Sebastian started to bark. We almost collided into another worker. 

“I need access to the ride immediately.”

It took about 10 minutes for Sebastian and I to conduct a complete and thorough search. The ride was shut-down early to the dismay of a few people who were waiting. 

We found nothing. 

“Alois, he’s not here. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t moved. Please keep an eye on the monit-...”

But I heard a succession of ‘beeps’ in my ear. I checked my radio, the battery was completely dead. It had a full charge, less than an hour ago. Of all the… 

Sebastian started tugging violently on my leash toward the exit of the ride, just when I thought he lost any trace of this man. My heart stopped; I only had one hand on his leash. “Hey! Slow down-”

To my horror, his leash slipped from my grasp. This could not be happening to me. I shoved my radio back into my pocket and sprinted after that damn dog as fast as my legs could carry me. I made an open wish to any god that would listen, that anyone watching would assume that I left him off the leash on purpose. 

Sebastian was fast and flew past several people by the time I had gotten to the exit of the tilt-a-whirl. There was a small tunnel that lead guests toward another area, and I watched him run inside it. My thought was to beat him on the other side. 

I cut across several game booths and tried to brace myself to catch a hold of the dog. A sight at the tunnel exit stopped me dead in my tracks.

There was the stranger, and sitting beside him was Sebastian. The dog was staring at this man once again in a similar manner he had the night before. Perfectly calm and contented; fixated and watching. It was so eerie, unnatural. He didn’t even point at him. 

The man smiled at me and gave me the strangest sort of look; I couldn’t identify what his expression was suggesting. I noticed his clothing was the same as it had been the night before, but it was in pristine condition. Not a wrinkle or button out of place. 

“You-...” I walked up to the man, using railing and the plastered walls to brace myself. My chest felt heavy and I wheezed a little as I tried to catch my breath. “Show me your ticket. Now.” 

“My goodness, you’re in a strange position for one making demands, but very well.” He pulled a ticket out from the collar of his shirt and offered it to me, still smiling. “I didn’t forget what you told me.” 

I took it from him and studied the little piece of printed cardstock intensely, panting hard. I took out a little pen-light provided by Bard and shone it’s blacklight on it, squinting to make sure. This was a real ticket. There was no doubt about it. 

I offered it back to him, trying to take in more of his appearance and memorize his face as I struggled for air. “How-- did you get a radio into the park? Are you aware-- how dangerous it is, to interfere with our communications? We -- have metal detectors--” I paused to take in a very shaky breath, “-- for a reason.” 

“I didn’t enter that way.” This man had pale skin, and what seemed to be light brown eyes. His whole ethnicity was unclear to me. Part Italian? Arabic? Asian? Jewish, maybe? All of them and more? I couldn’t tell. The most distinguishing features were his bow shaped mouth, and sharp jawline. Those bowed lips parted to have another go at me. “You’re an interesting little man. I’m surprised that you can see me at all, truth be told. There are few who can on the first try. You don’t actually think I need a radio, do you?” 

“Everyone who purchases a ticket and enters the park passes through the metal detectors, Sir--” My voice faltered a bit, as it did so Sebastian turned his head toward me and let out a chuff. Was there any use for the protocol anymore? “Sir... What exactly are you...” 

I paused, realizing that it was taking an unusually long time for my breathing to return to normal. Was it possible after all of this; that he was a ghost? My hand fumbled into my pockets for my inhaler. Where was the damn thing?

The man rolled his eyes at me and tsked, “You probably get this a lot, but you’re really no fun at all. You wont even venture a guess. And what’s the matter with you? I don’t think you’re thinking clearly, anymore.” 

I hated to admit it, but he was right. The world was going wobbly around me, each passing second I couldn’t find my medicine was getting increasingly dangerous. I shouldn’t have run as fast and for as long as I had. Meeting this stranger again likely wasn’t helping. 

“S-sir…” My breath caught in my throat as he leaned closer to me. I felt his hands; surprisingly warm to the touch cup my face. 

“Now… this goes against the aesthetics of the majority of my kind, but I don’t mind leading a hand on occasion, to potential contractees. Or my lips, in this case.” I felt our noses touch as my eyes filled with moisture; the world was getting darker. I thought I could faintly see his eyes gleaming, but his face was distorted. I must have been hallucinating at this point. 

I heard Sebastian bark and the strangers hair brush against my face, it seemed he had stopped what he was about to do... to speak to the dog? “Why don’t you make yourself useful and fetch. He probably left his medicine in the loo.” 

“S-..Sebastian-” I tried to call him but my voice was too weak. Both of my hands gripped at the collar of this strangers shirt. What the hell did he think he was doing, sending my dog away? I wasn’t convinced Sebastian would listen to him about my inhaler. Even if he was something supernatural. Unfortunately, I heard the sound of all four paws of the Russian Wolfhound hitting the pavement and trotting far away from us. 

“Curious name for a dog, isn’t it?” The stranger used his thumbs to tilt my head back from under my chin. He didn’t seem concerned by my grip on his clothes as I struggled to keep standing. “Maybe after this, you’ll come to realize that I might be able to help you in your endeavors; much better than that pet ever could.” 

I was powerless as I felt this stranger’s mouth against my own. My first instinct was to bite him, the degenerate. But immediately, I felt him breathe a powerful amount of piping hot air into my lungs. My mind, not even comprehending how his breath was so hot, I thought I was about to die. It felt as though my lungs were ablaze. Just when I expected myself to black out, my world cleared. 

I opened my eyes and blinked several times, my back was pressed to the wall of the tunnel. Quickly I gave myself a once over, felt for signs of a concussion. The time was now 10:26pm which seemed normal to me. No major loss of time, no signs of injury. I was breathing just fine; my exhaustion was gone. What had happened, just then?

“Hello?” I looked around the tunnel for signs of the stranger. Maybe he had gone back through the exit? “Wait!” I ran inside and hoped he’d be on the other side, back toward the ride. 

When I reached the tilt-a-whirl once more I saw no signs anyone had been there. The ride was closed and empty. 

I heard a faint static in my ear, “Until we meet again.” His voice was coming from my earpiece, through a radio that I knew was dead. 

“...Who are you...” 

Sebastian suddenly emerged from behind a game booth with my inhaler in his mouth. He ran up to me quickly as I stood there; utterly dumbfounded as to how I could possibly explain what had just occurred to Alois.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took me so long; holidays, illness, and general writers block took over.   
> I'll endeavor to keep working on this fic and update until it's DONE. 
> 
> Some things to keep in mind:  
> \- There will be some aged up Sebaciel going forward so if that bothers you, this story is probably not your cup of tea.   
> -The mysterious stranger is Sebastian (the demon), he just doesn't have this name (yet). But he will soon. And I swear, I will make the dog and the demon existing in the same fic with the same name as... not-confusing as possible. And it will make sense. I promise. ;;;  
> \- "Code Black" means there's a tornado; the tilt-a-whirl is a spinning ride. So he was making a little joke. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! 💙💙💙


	3. Intel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a bleak conversation with Alois, Ciel heads home for some days off. Edward, Ciel's flatmate and cousin, seems increasingly worried; but Ciel is too occupied with finding out more about the strange 'man' in black. Perhaps Finny will be able to cheer him up?

The ‘man with the black hair’ was unspotted for the remainder of the night shift. There was nothing to report to Bard. It took some brief convincing, but Alois didn’t see any reason to doubt the dead battery in my radio once he had seen it for himself. When 1am finally came and we were ready to go home, I was forced to confront what had occurred. I didn’t think Alois would bring it up again, but I’d been wrong before. 

“...You sure you never saw anything, Ciel?” Alois shut his locker and glanced in my direction as he walked to the time-clock. “Back at the tilt-a-whirl. No sign of Mister Channel Six? He didn’t leave a trace? Didn’t move anything, leave trash-- nothing?” 

“I’m sure.” I lied. It felt like a good idea to conceal what really happened from him; why would he believe me? “No one was there. My radio was dying, so I might have gotten some strange interference, or something like that. I remember you mentioned it’s possible.” 

“Interference, dead radio, run-away k-9 unit, and a glitch in the security cameras; all at the same time. ‘Guess we were just unlucky, tonight.” Alois clocked-out and took a moment to linger so I could do the same. “Or else, really lucky…” His last remark was quiet, like it was to himself. After a small pause he continued, “...You know. The last coincidence like this, was the same day as DreamLand’s last little fiasco...” He scoffed, “I’m sure you read all about it.” 

I let the time-clock punch my card and looked at his face. Alois was gazing at something only he could see, at the moment. He was talking to me, but it was obvious he was revisiting a part of the past and lost in memory. I’d seen that expression before on other people that I knew. Mother was the first to come to mind. 

A part of me wondered if it was better not to ask, but he seemed to want to talk about it, “-- The incident in the article a few months ago… were you working that day?” 

At first I thought he wasn’t going to answer me. His face was completely deadpan now, and I was about to apologize and leave, until he spoke. 

“It happened in the Log Ride, last summer.” Light bangs fell into his face as his chin tilted downward, I could no longer see his eyes. “It’s got a minute of tunnel; a partial dark ride is still a dark ride, and has to be monitored with N.V.C.”

“N.V.C.?” 

The blonde’s eyes met mine in an instant and I knew I shouldn’t have asked as he snapped, “‘Night Vision Cameras!’” 

Even if my wanting clarity was justified, I felt bad for interrupting him. I offered a nod in response and could only lower my head a bit as an apology; allowing him to continue to talk if he wanted to. Thankfully, he did. The realization had occurred to me, but I wanted Alois to like me. As a coworker, at least. 

“...Surveillance went out; our radios were acting up. Dark Rides have to be surveillanced, at all times. There are no exceptions. The ride operator shut off the ride, until the cameras worked again. Standard safety procedures. Except, the lights wouldn’t come on; the N.V.C’s were still not up. And that’s when we heard the splashing…” 

I didn’t dare interrupt again, only biting my lip and waited for him to go on, “-- Log had flipped over, belly up. And the riders couldn’t get out from under it. The operator couldn’t flip it back over by himself; a mechanism got stuck and kept it completely capsized. He only pulled two people out. There were two kids still trapped underneath. If it hadn’t been for your dog, they would have drowned.” 

This came to me as a genuine shock. Truthfully, I had read about this incident before and knew much of what he was telling me. Not this part. “--Sebastian? He saved them? I had no idea-- he wasn’t in the article.” 

“Why would he be? The person who had your job before you, let him off the leash on accident; he ran straight to the ride, got inside, jumped into the water; and pulled the brats out. One of them was blue in the face, but managed to come back. Funny thing, that dog. We had no idea he had that kind of training. He’s only supposed to smell for explosives, and the like. So, you understand, don’t you?”

Words failed me for a moment as I realized what he was saying, “... So, it was just luck. Without Sebastian, they would have died.” 

“That’s right. They lived, but with no thanks to DreamLand staff or equipment. Everyone was completely flipped out. Everything was examined and we shut down the ride for maintenance. No one could understand how ALL the security equipment, AND a ride mechanism, failed at the same time. The security guard quit the same day; we’d been looking for a replacement since then until you showed up.”

Alois clasped his hands together, like he just delivered a punchline to a bad joke. “And there you have it. Look. I know what I said before. Because It’s important for you to control Sebastian; especially around guests. Doll was lying to you. He’s rough around the edges. Very unpredictable. If you let him, he can make people nervous. He’s big; even for his breed! But I was being a shit, to you.” He moved his hands under his chin, as though he was praying, almost. His eyes never left my own as I let all of his words sink in. “ … You won't always be able to control Sebastian, because no one can. Many have tried. Not even Mey, the graveshift, will work with him. But my God? Please stay one step behind him. Do that, at least.” 

There were a lot of things I could have said, but I was truly at a loss for anything intelligent to respond with. “Right…” I muttered as Alois started to walk away. There was so much in my head, so much I wanted to ask about. It would have to wait. 

“I thought you were just some kid, looking for an easy job. Maybe a little bit of an idiot. And I’m not super comfortable with you yet; but I was wrong. ‘Sorry about that.”

I could say nothing. 

“Enjoy your days off!” He called back to me without turning around. That’s right. I had almost completely forgotten that I didn’t have work tomorrow. 

* * * 

The commute home felt like an eternity. By the time I opened the door to my home, I could physically feel the weight of my bags under my eyes. I looked to the only movement in the room and spotted my flatmate. 

I tried my best to sound annoyed, “Still up, I see.” 

“Hello, twit, you’re alive. You look ghastly.” Edward didn’t look up from his ipad as he sat on the couch, “Did I mention this whole thing makes me really nervous.” 

“I’m not going over it with you again.You don’t HAVE to wait up. We both know why I’m doing it. Let’s not do this tonight, I’m not in the mood...” I tossed my things into an empty chair in the kitchen and made my way to our shared couch, flopping beside him. Every night since I took the job, he wanted to talk me out of it and inspect my mental state. I had more pressing matters to discuss. “I need to talk to you-- about something else.”

“Well if it’s another favor, you can sod right off.” He kept punching the screen with his forefinger, doing god-knows-what. “You know, when both of our mums find out, we are essentially dead, right. You working there-- Me, giving you MY identifications, to let you do it? It’s mad.” 

“Listen.” I leaned toward him to push the ipad aside, getting his full attention. “I think I’m onto something extremely important. But before I get into that: Do you know someone who goes by the name ‘Alois Trancy’?” 

“‘Alois Trancy?’” The face he made, judging by the way he said it, suggested he thought I was having a go at him, “Is that a performer or something? No.” He laughed at me, “Pretty sure I’d know a bloke by that name.”

“It might be a fake name,” I spoke without thinking; Edward’s eyes bulged. 

“Well that’s just jolly! How many people working in that place have fake names, then?!” There was no stopping this outburst. 

“Would you just listen?” I urged, “He said he’s in the witness protection program, and he knew you. He ran his own background check on me, and he knows what we’ve done, Edward. So, who is he?” 

My cousin and I didn’t always get along. Not well enough, in most people’s opinion. But in the end, dear Edward and I had come to our current living arrangement. It was an arrangement that stuck for the past seven years of our young adult lives. 

The truth was, Edward pitied me. He pitied my asthma, the circumstances, and what tragedy befell my family. Even if he thought I didn’t notice; it was an unspoken truth. I think that in the end, that’s why he let me use his information in the first place to apply for my current job. It’s why I knew I could ask him. I could count on him, because at the end of the day… he was an older brother.

And God knows that I didn’t have mine, anymore. 

“...Oh! My god. Yeah, that makes sense. Well that’s gotta be Jim Macken. I know him. He mentioned he applied there for a job a long while back. ‘Haven’t seen him in almost a year.” 

So that was Alois’s real name. I took a mental note of it and stared at my cousin with half-lidded eyes. “You KNEW someone who was likely working there... And didn’t think to tell me?” I sighed deeply, “You really are daft, aren’t you.” 

“Look here twit, in my defense-- I didn’t think he would go through with it. I don’t know what it is with you people, why the BOTH of you would want to go back to that bloody place anyway. He did tell you about what happened to him, right? It’s not healthy! So did you get fired?”

I sighed and sunk back into the couch crossly, “No, I didn’t. ‘Sorry to disappoint.” 

“Listen…” Edward sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, his brow furrowed. “Jim and I used to be classmates for a while. We weren’t very close or anything; I just know he had a really hard time, so it’s best to just keep your distance if you can. You both have a couple things in common. In the worst way.” 

“Fine.” I couldn’t do much but agree with him. It seemed only fair to let a few minutes pass between us before I asked, “Let me borrow your ipad?” 

“Yeah, just about done with it. You mentioned being onto something. What is it?” Edward tentatively offered me the device and peered at the screen as I held it. 

“I want to go through the interviews, one more time. I know you don’t get it. But I think I encountered something supernatural... Rather, someone.” 

“‘Someone’...” Edward didn’t say anything else at first. It took him a minute to speak while I searched, “What makes you think they were? Do you think you actually saw a ghost?...” 

“No, they aren’t a ghost. I felt them.” I wasn’t sure how much to elaborate for him. 

I swiped quickly, glossing over a few articles and opening tabs with video footage that previous ghost-hunters had taken of the park. “It’s a person. Rather; they feel like a flesh-and-blood person. They’re not --” 

I cursed in my head as I felt a blush creep across my face, recalling what happened in the tunnel. Though I knew it was my mind playing tricks, I swore I could still feel the warmth on my lips. My lungs had never felt better since he seemed to breathe life into them. “ I mean -- They’re tangible.” 

“Well let’s have it then, come on. If not a ghost, then what is it?” Edward crossed his arms and did his best to sound steady. I knew the supernatural scared him; because he actually did believe in it. As much as he didn’t want to admit he did. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed his expression shift when I opened another window and typed in ‘signs of demonic possession’. 

“...No.” Edward sounded angry with me. I ignored it and kept the tab open, as I let a window with video footage of an old ghost-hunter vlog play in a corner of the screen as I read on. Edward kept pestering, “...No way. Why make that leap?”

Just as he asked me, I heard the little ring that my phone made whenever I got a new text message go off. It made us both jump. For now, it could wait. I didn’t answer Edward, instead I shoo’d him with my hand and let him get annoyed.

“You’re a spoiled twit, you know that? Just be careful with-- whatever you’ve gotten into. And try to get some sleep, yeah? I’m gonna do that myself, if I can. No thanks to you!” 

“Fine, Edward. G’night. I’ll plug this in for you when I’m through.” 

I heard my cousin make some kind of noise in response, and heard him wander off gently into his own bedroom. There was no sense in explaining my thoughts to him, not yet. Not without proof, anyway… if I could find any, that is. 

Several searches, articles, and vlogs later, I was about to give up. Many covered incidences and the ghost-sightings that I had been familiar with already. Many of them were ones I had already read before; but I hoped for the possibility that I had missed something. The articles I hadn’t bothered to read before talked about ‘haunted ride’ theories, and possible poltergeists. There was even a suggestion that DreamLand was built upon an ancient burial ground. All of it was mildly amusing, but much of it had been thoroughly debunked. To my dismay, I didn’t get anything about demons. 

“Oh well.” I shrugged and leaned back further in my seat. 

One last video thumbnail caught my eye as I began closing tabs. It was dated a few months ago; it looked like an ordinary vlog… but the teens in the small image appeared to be in the park very late, with no crowd in the background. 

Curiosity got the better of me and I clicked on the video link. I hummed lightly; I was right. They had snuck into the park after hours and decided to make a show of it for their small channel. 

It wasn’t a good idea to post this online. Briefly I wondered if Bard could do something about these teens legally if I showed the video to him. I skimmed gently through the footage and watched the teens explore the park. They seemed to be having a good time without being vandals, at least. 

I positioned the mouse cursor over the small ‘x’ to close the tab when the video shifted toward the back gates of the park, and there seemed to be a figure of a man that I had seen before. 

“Mind if I join you?” 

That voice. 

“...Bastard.” My heart leapt into my throat and I felt myself get a wicked grin as I watched the video, clutching the ipad in both hands. 

“Sure!” The teen’s enthusiastic voice was heard, the camera shook as they seemed to jog up to the man with the black hair. There was no mistaking him, he stood from behind the gates and smiled slyly at the group of teens and waved at them. “What’s your name, man?!” The teen asked. 

They opened the gate for him; allowing him into the park. The man grinned at the camera and seemed to extend his index finger out and poked the camera’s lense. As the screen went black, the next footage was different. It had clearly been spliced and judging by the lighting, a few hours had passed. 

The teen’s voice was a little fatigued, “So my camera has been having issues and I think I lost a lot of that, I’m sorry- so we’re about to head out for the night before checking out one last thing-”

“HA!” I laughed out loud and scrolled back to pause on the still-image of the man, “I’ve CAUGHT you! I don’t believe it.” I immediately started downloading the video, feeling triumphant. “...Ah…” My heart started to catch up with itself. At least I knew I wasn’t insane. This man was very real and I now had some kind of proof he existed. That was all I needed for the night, so I checked my phone, assuming the message was from my mother. 

I was wrong. The text was from a number I didn’t recognize and I read the message: ‘Hello, Ciel! It’s Finny, I got your number from Bard. I know you’re still working right now but text me back if you get a chance? I was wondering if you were busy tomorrow! It’s your day off, right?’ 

“Finny-- wh….” I stammered a bit, I didn’t mean to. It was very late, but I decided to text him back once I read the next and most recent message. ‘Just wanted to message one more time! I stay up late sometimes! Just let me know when you get the chance if you wanna get together!’ 

I felt bad for making him wait. For a few seconds I held my phone in my hands stupidly before making an impulsive decision to message back. 

‘I’m sorry it’s very late. Tomorrow is my day off, yes.’ I hesitated a moment and added, ‘I’m not busy at all,’ to the message before pressing ‘send.’ 

To my surprise, Finny responded very quickly, ‘No worries at all! I just remembered that I still have my Free Tickets Vouchers for this quarter and they’re about to expire!!!! :-) Did you want to come with me? Going on a day off would be so much fun!!!’ 

I bit my lip hard. Tomorrow I was supposed to take the train with Edward to go have dinner with the rest of the family. We did this every so often. But missing dinner this time didn’t have to be a big deal if it meant I had made plans with a friend, did it? It would probably make Mother happy to know I was out doing that sort of thing… it was a perfect excuse. And I did want to be in that park. There was just one thing wrong with this. 

I wasn’t confident that I could have fun in DreamLand anymore. Did I want to do that to Finny? Surely he’d have a much better time with someone who found joy in that place. 

I thought of him for a moment and of the time we had already spent together while working. Maybe as long as I was distracted, if I could only fake it a little... it would be alright. I did want to be there; I just hadn’t planned on being there for this purpose. There was something about Finny that made me feel like I could pull it off as long as it was him. 

Finny was a unique person all on his own; he seemed to me like a person who was extremely alive inside. That kind of person was scarce to me, these days. As much as it startled me; I really enjoyed being in his company. It made no sense to me that he would want to be around someone like me, but it felt too special to dismiss so coldly without any real reason. 

‘I’d love to. Where do you want to meet?’ I hit send. 

* * *

What was I thinking... I couldn’t do this. 

My heart beat hard in my chest as I stood peering up at the gates of DreamLand. An orchestrated version of the park’s theme played gently over the loudspeakers. There was something so painfully melancholy, hearing the music in this way. It was nine in the morning, the sun was climbing higher as a number of guests had already arrived. So many eager and excited faces were waiting in the lines to get inside. 

Memories flooded back to me now that I was really forced to take a closer look at this place for what it was. It was a whole other thing entirely, outside of work. It was so easy to avoid my feelings about the past when I was busy. I used to go here dozens of times in my youth with Ciel, mother, and father. It was such a happy place, then. Ciel and I were so innocent without a care in the world. 

I could almost hear my brother’s voice calling out to me, ‘Hurry!’ In my mind’s eye I could see him reaching for my hand to pull me past those gates; urging us toward his favorite roller coaster. Quickly, I averted my gaze from the entrance. Why did it have to hurt like this now? 

It’s not too late to be a coward, I reminded myself. I could make up an excuse and apologize. I could just resign to being a damaged jerk, and leave. 

“Shouldn’t you get in line to obtain a ticket?” The voice made me look up and I knew exactly who it was. 

He was standing a few feet from me; this man seemed to have a habit of literally appearing out of nowhere when I least expected it. I took a deep breath, at first I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t expect him to show up like this so suddenly in broad daylight. 

“Hello, again,” Was all I could muster as I felt my jaw clench. My mind raced but I forced myself to ask him, this- thing, a question. “If you can. Tell me, why are you here?” 

“Likely not for the same reason that you are, I’m afraid.” His brow arched at me, feigning pity. “Goodness, you’re a strange one.” The tone-of-voice was mocking, “I thought it was obvious that I came to have a little fun. This place is crawling with… ‘activity’, as one-such-as-you might say.” 

“You know that for a fact?” I couldn’t hide the eagerness in my voice, “There are others? Ghosts, or something else? Are they dangerous?”

“So many questions,” he uttered, closing his eyes briefly. As he did so he lowered his head, dark strands of hair fell in his face and cast a shadow across his cheek. “So… you want to meet the infamous nightmare of DreamLand…” He walked past my right in slow strides as he spoke, “But you are bringing a great danger upon yourself, aren’t you? Possibly others, as well... ” 

My heart quickened at that last remark as he ended it in a tsk. I stood still as I felt him stop directly behind me; my gut told me to show no fear and to keep looking ahead. Not only was he right about that statement, it made me understand a few important things about the situation. This creature was watching me, and better at tracking me than I was at tracking him. It was clear that he knew things that I didn’t know, that no normal person could know. The knowledge he had was part of what I wanted the most. 

I felt two hands on my shoulders. At this, I looked sharply to my left and met his eyes once more. They were open now and no longer the light amber brown, they shone a deep ruby red. Like wine; I thought. 

“Now it’s my turn to ask a question. Are you ready to admit that you’d like more of my help?” The way his grin spread across his face reminded me of a cut opening up. His nails dug into the fabric on my jacket; it almost hurt. His face came nearer, his eyes were squinting slightly because his smile was so wide.

“What’s that look for, Demon.” My face became hot and I knew it wasn’t only from the heat of that strange breath of his. My brow furrowed; this bastardly thing was too smug for my liking. He thought he really had me where he wanted me. He doesn’t scare me, I told myself. He only scares me if I let him scare me. “You’d better wipe that grin off your face if you want to keep talking to me.” 

“Wipe it off my face?” His voice was higher and strained, as though he was holding back a fit of roaring laughter. Those red eyes seemed to really shine now, his pupils became two thin black feline slits. “... But-- how then, would I talk to you?” 

He brought one hand off my shoulder to demonstrate in the most jarring way; wiping his hand quickly over his face and removing his entire mouth as he did so. The sight only lasted long enough for me to see what he did, before he swiped his hand back and returned his upturned feature. 

I closed my eyes; the sight burned into my mind and made my stomach drop. “You KNOW what I meant.” If there was ever a doubt about what he was in my mind, it was gone now. From what little I had gathered; a lot of demons were like this. 

“I thought you’d be a little more grateful…” His breath was murmuring so close to my lips and it made me furious. “...How are your lungs treating you?” 

“Shut up.” I squeezed my eyes a little more tightly closed. 

“Do you hate my smile? Just last night it was a smile that you were so happy to let melt in your mouth…”

“I said shut up!” I opened my eyes to stare the demon down. His face was still close to mine but my anger was strong enough to keep me steady. “You remind me of my dog; but I think he listens better than you.” 

It was only a fraction of a second. If I had blinked, I would have missed it. But I swore I saw the smile start to falter on the demon’s face. 

“CIEL!” My head whipped forward and saw Finny running up to me at full speed. At that same instant I thought I heard a faint growl and felt what seemed like a gust of wind fly past the back of my head, blowing my hair a bit. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see that the demon dressed in black was gone. At least, for now. I turned my attention back to my coworker, “Hello, Finny.”

I tried not to sound shaken. It didn’t take me more than a moment to realize that my chipper friend had not seen what I had. 

Finny took my arm, “C’mon! Let’s go on a ride! Which one do you wanna try first?! I think we should have time to go on all of them! Which one is your favorite? I’m so glad you wanted to go with me!” 

I let him lead the way through the gates and forced a smile, “I don’t think I have one. I’ll let you pick for me, okay?” The entire way inside I got a strong sense that the two of us were being followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this Chapter was unplanned initially. And I know it was mostly filler and a bit short; essentially leading up to what's coming next, but I hope that I kept it interesting and important. I hope that it didn't disappoint too much. I didn't originally plan on introducing Edward into this story until way later. It's been a long time since I've felt this dedicated to a project that's going to take a while to complete but I swear, I have no plans on abandoning this fic. 
> 
> I tried my best to make this chapter meaningful because I felt it was needed with the flow of the story. Thank you to all my readers and to those who leave kudos and comments, it means a lot to me. Big shout out to my beta as well, thank you. 💙

**Author's Note:**

> Special shout out to my beta (you know who you are) for doing this for me, and finding the worst, most… humiliating, meme-worthy sentence I left in my first draft.  
> There’s a lot of sources of inspirations for this fic, but there’s a few I feel I have to cite.
> 
> *The 1936 cartoon from which the song is from “Somewhere in Dreamland” is from.  
> *The park in the story is loosely (very loosely) based on Nara Dreamland, rather-- what I imagined it’s like in my head (as it’s now demolished).  
> *Finally; my own experiences. One being my current and very unfortunate job. And the other being my feelings towards one traumatic experience in my childhood involving Disneyland Anaheim. 
> 
> I hope you like this fic, it’s single handedly saving my sanity. At this time I haven't tagged any specific pairings because I haven't decided ultimately what I want to do and how ship-heavy the fic's content will be, as the plot plays out. I am leaning toward Older!Ciel and Sebastian seeing more ship-like interactions, but I am also partial to Finny and Older!Ciel as well. We'll see. 
> 
> I’m going to push myself very hard and hope to update every two weeks. Thank you for reading!


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